Mickey 17 had a lot of pre-release excitement behind it. Despite delays en route to theaters, fans were eagerly anticipating Bong Joon Ho’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning triumph Parasite, especially since it was a sci-fi tale starring various versions of Robert Pattinson. When Mickey 17 arrived on March 7, however, audiences and critics alike were surprised by a film that had some fun elements but ultimately felt weighed down by political metaphor.
And it didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. After Mickey 17‘s tepid opening weekend, Variety reported that “the goofy sci-fi comedy ignited to $24 million overseas and more than $50 million globally, a decent start for an original film in the current theatrical landscape. It just cost way too much to ever turn a profit in this lifetime.”
The trade once again offered praise—”It’s an impressive launch for a fresh, offbeat space odyssey about a disposable employee whose body is able to regenerate for science”—but then pointed out the film’s oversized budget ($118 million, plus $80 million on marketing) means it “needs to earn around $275 million to $300 million globally to get into the black during its big screen run.”
That hasn’t happened; according to Box Office Mojo, the most recent total for Mickey 17 is just over $90 million worldwide. Again, not bad for quirky sci-fi, but not enough to recoup all the money that’s already been spent.
It’s not surprising then that rumors have begun to circulate that Mickey 17 will arrive on streaming soon, with March 25 being named as a possible date. Warner Bros. hasn’t responded to io9’s query, so that detail remains unofficial and unconfirmed. Movie fans have, however, noticed a trend of under-performing theatrical releases hitting streaming sooner and sooner; to name one notable recent example, Lionsgate’s Borderlands made us go “yikes!” when it arrived on digital just three weeks after opening in theaters.
Mickey 17 could certainly prove to be more of an at-home hit than it was on the big screen, and that could end up tipping the budget scales in its favor. But perhaps at this point your choice is even more crystal clear: pick up Edward Ashton’s fantastic source-material novel, Mickey7, which was released in 2022. It even has a sequel, Antimatter Blues. Though the book has fewer replications of the title character, hence the lower number in the title, it doesn’t have any “is this character supposed to be Trump?” intrusions, and is instead a gripping, wryly funny sci-fi mystery. As an added bonus you can also imagine the main character’s voice to… not be what Pattinson went with in Mickey17.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
